Prolonged use of a computer keyboard can, at best, leave the user sore, and at worst, give the user carpal tunnel syndrome. The reason for this is that the hands and the body must be held in artificial positions in order to use the most commonly available keyboards. Carpal tunnel syndrome/repetitive motion injury (CTS/RMI) is the result of long-term, repeated motions. Among the factors that aggrevate CTS/RMI are repetition of motion, frequency of movement, impact, improper hand or wrist position, and poor posture.
Almost all of the commercially available keyboards use either the QWERTY layout or the Dvorak layout. The QWERTY keyboard remains the standard keyboard, taking its name from the six keys at the beginning of the first row of letters. The QWERTY keyboard was originally designed for mechanical typewriters. The layout chosen was believed to slow the user's key strokes down so that the machine did not become bound. The QWERTY keyboard was in use as early as 1873, and it is the layout used by most users. The QWERTY keyboard is sub-optimal because it is specifically designed to slow the user, by making the user move further to perform a given sequence of key strokes. Additionally, since it increases the motion needed to type, the QWERTY keyboard is associated with higher key impact. The QWERTY keyboard has been associated with CTS/RMI.
The Dvorak keyboard was patented in 1936 by Dr. August Dvorak and his brother-in-law. The Dvorak keyboard was designed to reduce the distance the fingers traveled in order to perform a given sequence of typing. The Dvorak keyboard has under-gone slight modifications since it was originally introduced, but all the different versions share a common goal: reduce the distance that the fingers travel. The Dvorak keyboard was adopted as the alternative keyboard to the QWERTY keyboard by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The failure of the Dvorak keyboard to penetrate the keyboard market is studied in many top business and economics schools. Part of the problem with implementing the Dvorak keyboard is a General Services Administration study, conducted in 1956 by Earle Strong. Strong concluded that the cost of implementation would be greater than any realistic benefit. This report has been frequently cited as a reason for not implementing the Dvorak keyboard by businesses and government.
Both the QWERTY keyboard and the Dvorak keyboard are designed to be used with two-hands, although the Dvorak keyboard does have left-handed and right-handed versions. The left-handed and the right-handed Dvorak keyboard are meant to help people who have use or movement in only one arm or hand. In addition to the one-handed Dvorak keyboards, there are many other products on the market for people who can only type with one arm or hand. For example, there is the FrogPad™, which requires users to learn to make their hands “jump”, in order to type. In other words, the FrogPad™ product does the opposite of the Dvorak product: it increases the distance that the hand and fingers will travel. Although the FrogPad™ is marketed to the general public, a plurality of their reviews on their website are from users with cerebral palsy. There are additional one-handed keyboards which appear to be mostly marketed to those with physical impairment of one limb. These products include traditional QWERTY keyboards reconfigured as left-handed or right-handed keyboards, and the Maltron one-handed keyboard. All of the one-handed solutions are designed to allow the user to type with one-hand. However, all of them fail to allow the user to type from the natural rest position of the hand.
None of the current solutions on the market minimize all of the factors of CTS/RMI. The QWERTY and Dvorak keyboards encourage an unnatural position for both the wrist and the body. The damage done by the unnatural position required by a traditional flat keyboard are mitigated in some of the current prior art by using a split keyboard or attempting to rest the hand in a more neutral position. Largely, in use, typists tend to revert to a flexed wrist when using these devices, although the angle of flex may be smaller than with a traditional keyboard. Additionally, QWERTY keyboards and FrogPads increase the impact of typing by maximizing the distance that the fingers travel, thereby increasing the finger speed. What the market needs is a one-handed keyboard that allows both able-bodied and physically-impaired users to type using one hand. Ideally, the wrist should be at a neutral position, and should flex bi-laterally about the neutral position. Integrating such a solution with a mouse would further reduce the amount of movement of the hand and wrist.